One of the most extraordinary documentaries ever made, acclaimed French filmmaker Chris Marker's A Grin Without a Cat—initially released in 1977, then updated for re-release in 1993—follows the political tumult that reverberated around the globe in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a time when the so-called New Left movement employed street theater to deliver political messages. Moving at breakneck speed, the film rollercoasters around the planet from Washington, D.C. to Paris to Caracas to Tokyo to Prague to La Paz to Beijing to London to Moscow, offering a wealth of historic footage that is staggering in both depth and scope, including the rueful graffiti in Prague that welcomed the Soviet occupiers (“Lenin Wake Up: Brezhnev is Talking Bullshit”), a rare recorded broadcast by Che Guevera condemning the Vietnam War, the Shah of Iran's opulence in celebrating his own importance, the rabid cheering of the Chinese Communist Party delegates at the appearance of a somnambulistic Mao, the dramatic strikes that crippled the French economy in the late 1960s, and the utterly bizarre sight of Fidel Castro sharing Italian recipes with a visiting European delegation. Equally dramatic is A Grin Without a Cat's visual style, with much of the old newsreel footage tinted in dramatic hues of red, blue, and amber. DVD extras include an accompanying booklet with a new essay by Marker. A true documentary classic, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
A Grin Without a Cat
(1993) 180 min. DVD: $29.98. Icarus Films Home Video (avail. from most distributors). Volume 24, Issue 3
A Grin Without a Cat
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